Who We Are & What We Do
Ashanti was diagnosed with Asperger’s when he was 11 years old and he struggled to try to find his place to fit in where he didn't feel like the odd guy in the room. His mother was his biggest advocate and searched for resources to help her son and to help her support and guide him. There were not enough programs with enough people who cared, and they both begin to lose hope at times.
When Ashanti lost his life, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong "friends". When he passed, his mother received calls from strangers all over the city talking about the little things he did for everyone and how big his heart was to the people of York. They said things like “if he was in my neighborhood, he would knock on my door just to see if I needed anything, or he would see an elderly or pregnant woman struggling with groceries and he would rush to help”...etc.
His mother knew that to honor her son she had to start programs to help adults and young adults like her son, and help them make better choices and build confidence in themselves despite many setbacks and she knew she needed to do that in the city that mattered with the people that mattered to her son, her son Ashanti Morgan with the loving heart. His mother is LaKisha Jo Morgan our Founder and President.
Ashanti’s Heart was born from a mother’s grief.
A mother’s grief of trying to find the resources to help her son. A mother’s grief of losing her son to gun violence. A mother’s grief that no mother should ever have to feel. Ashanti Morgan lost his life in the city. Ashanti wasn't what the media outlets wanted to portray him as.
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Mission
Ashanti’s heart is to provide youth and young adults with the resources to build confidence and make better choices.
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Vision
To provide the youth of York with the needed guidance through programs to become confident and productive members of society.